The present invention relates to a back support or brace having an air cushion for supporting and/or applying pressure against the sacrolumbar portion of a user's back. More specifically, it concerns such back supports having bulb pumps which can be squeezed by the user to adjust the inflation pressure in the air cushion.
Many people are affected with a variety of back problems relating to musculo-skeletal disorders. Proper treatment often requires the use of a back support device to aid in the recovery cycle and/or to administer various forms of therapy. Bracing by a support, application of hot and cold therapy, and limiting range of motion while assisting strength development are examples of the types of therapies frequently suggested to assist a weak or injured back. Back supports are also useful in preventing injury in the first place by adding support and encouraging proper form during strenuous and repetitive lifting activities. The variety of purposes and applications for back braces and the diverse body types of those who use them thus require a back support that is adjustable in support as well as versatile in the support it can provide. In other words, back supports can be used to apply localized pressure to specific areas of the lumbosacral or lower back to prevent and/or treat injuries.
One prior art back support is the "ProFlex" back support available from Ergodyne Corporation of St. Paul, Minn. It includes a breathable mesh belt having spaced lateral stays and ends with outward surface loop material. A first pair of pull straps is secured at one end to the outward center of the belt and overlaps and converges with a slight upward angle to opposite ends thereof. The opposite ends are secured together and have a piece of hook material attached to the inward surface and securable to the loop material at one of the ends. A second pair of pull straps extends in an opposite direction to define a flattened V-configuration with the first pair. The straps of the second pair have hook material at their inward joined ends which is securable to the opposite loop material of the belt.
Another prior art orthopaedic back support assembly is that disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 07/823,171, filed Jan. 21, 1992, commonly assigned herewith. That assembly includes a main body member which extends around the waist of a patient, and a V-configuration wide elastic strap which extends around the back of the patient with the center of the elastic strap extending down to a substantially lower level at the center of the patient's back than the ends of the strap at the sides of the patient. The back support assembly can also include a pressure applicator such as an air bladder and pad. The pressure applicator and the V-configuration strap can he mounted within, and can be secured to the main body member after passing through slots in the body member.
A further example of a prior art back brace is the Industrial Back Brace as disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/234,012, filed Apr. 28, 1994. Briefly, it has an elastic belt assembly with a central belt portion, overlapping belt straps extending out from both ends of that portion to form opposing belt ends and overlapping pull straps extending out from the center back portion to the belt ends. A lumbo-sacral pad is affixed to the inward face of the portion. When the belt assembly is wrapped around the user's waist and the belt ends releasably secured to one another with the desired fit, the belt straps and the pull straps pull the pad against the "small" of the user's back. The pad has spaced buttons or fusion welds and can be a pre-inflated air cushion or a (soft or hard) foam cushion. Spaced lateral stays sewn into the central portion give the belt rigidity as well as flexibility to conform to the user's back. In lieu of or in addition to the stays, a flexible plastic sheet internal to the bladder can be used. The belt straps and the central portion are made of lightweight breathable material. Holes punched through each of the fusion welds promote air circulation through to the user's adjacent back. A hot/cold gel pad can be releasably secured with hook-and-loop fasteners to the inward surface of the pad for applying hot or cold therapy to the user's back. Examples of other "pull" type straps for belts are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,441,027 (Lehman), 3,920,008 (Lehman), 5,111,806 (Travis), 5,399,150 (Saunders), and 5,470,000 (Munoz). (These patents and all other patents, publications or applications mentioned anywhere in this disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.)
The prior art cushions can include cushioning material and/or an air cushion. And the air cushion can have a fixed non-adjustable air volume or pressure, or can be pressure or volume adjustable. This adjustment can be by a user-operable bulb pump. Examples of pumps are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,135,503 (Ramano), 4,622,957 (Curlee), 4,682,588 (Curlee), 4,703,750 (Sebastian, et at.), 4,756,306 (Curlee), 4,836,194 (Sebastian, et at.), 4,993,409 (Grim), 5,195,448 (Hill, et al.), 5,205,814 (Lundrigan), 4,396,906 (Harold) and Re. 34,883 (Grim). However, the prior art pump arrangements can be bulky, dangling down from the side of the belt, not easily accessible to the user, and/or easily misplaced.